Think about that for a second. In just a few short years, nearly half of all consumers will be from this generation.

When marketers look at stats like these, it’s easy to see why they’re chomping at the bit to reach this demographic.

Tailoring your marketing campaign to reach Generation Z right now can pay dividends in the long run.

It should also give you a decided edge over competitors that are still primarily focusing on reaching millennials.

So, let’s discuss how you can adjust your marketing efforts to better align this Gen-Zers.

Understanding the psychology of Gen Z

In order to connect with this generation, it’s first necessary to gain an understanding of their mindset and overall mentality.

We need to know what differentiates them from millennials and older generations.

Quite frankly, there are some considerable differences between this age group and the millennial generation.

As you might imagine, Gen-Zers are incredibly tech-savvy.

They’ve never known a world without the Internet, and the overwhelming majority of their media consumption is done online.

They use a variety of different devices, including desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, and so on.

It should also come as no surprise that they have short attention spans.

In fact, Bloomberg reports that “this new generation has an eight second attention span, down from 12 seconds in 2000, and 11 percent are diagnosed with attention deficiency syndrome, compared to 7.8 percent in 2003.”

What may come as a surprise is Generation Z’s desire to make the world a better place.

Even though they’re young, they seem to share a collective urgency to have a positive influence on the planet.

Some specific ways to make your content more mobile-friendly include the following:

Ditch or simplify pop-ups. Getting hit with irritating pop-ups immediately upon landing on your site can be a deal-breaker for Gen-Zers.

Break up your text into smaller paragraphs. Using plenty of white space makes it easier on your readers’ eyes when they are scrolling through content and reduces cognitive overload.

Use a lot of subheaders and bullet lists. Generation Z prefers scanning content rather than reading it in its entirety. Highlighting main points in this manner allows them to absorb your content with greater ease.

Gen Z has a short attention…hey, what’s that?

I think the term “snackable content” captures the essence of what you should be going for.

They don’t want to have to filter through piles and piles of information just to figure out what you’re selling.

Instead, your message needs to be quick, concise, and to the point.

For example, rather than recording a 10-minute video on YouTube, go with a 6-15 second clip on Instagram or Vine.

The good news is that creating content for Generation Z is significantly less time-consuming than it is for millennials or Generation X.

Gen Z is curious

These younger folks have an appetite for knowledge.

They love researching things and learning on their own.

This is actually how many Gen-Zers make their purchasing decisions. They first spend time doing research, learning about the company and determining whether or not a product/service is right for them.

In particular, they enjoy using social media and YouTube for performing research.

You can capitalize on this tendency by creating an archive of content they can use to guide their decision-making. Experimenting with multiple forms of visual-centric media that educates is ideal.

For example, you might create a series of informative brief videos, infographics, slideshows, etc. that will help this younger audience learn more about your product/service.

Gen Z is turned off by salesy stuff

Rather than taking a more old-school—“BUY NOW!”—approach, you’re likely to have much more success educating Generation Z and subtly weaving the ask into your marketing message.

It’s important to note that this younger demographic as a whole really loathes ads.

They’re also incredibly adept at avoiding ads, especially the ones that are completely over-the-top and annoying.

The bottom line is that screaming your marketing message at the top of your lungs is likely to fall on deaf ears.

Instead, you should have way more success when you educate Gen Z consumers on your product and industry.

You definitely don’t want to come across as a sleazy used cars salesman. It’s more about humanizing your brand and being relatable.

By first gaining Gen-Zers’ interest and trust, you’ll be in a better position to promote your product/service to them and should see some solid conversion rates as a result.

Conclusion

To thrive as a marketer, you need to look to the future and stay on the cutting edge of things.

From a consumer perspective, there’s somewhat of a generational shift that will be happening over the next five years or so.

As Generation Z continues to account for more and more of many companies’ customer bases, it’s important to tailor your marketing campaign accordingly.

Reaching younger consumers requires a different approach and different channels.

By implementing these techniques, you should be able to get your marketing message in front of Generation Z. And more importantly, you should be able to build genuine rapport with them and convert them into actual customers.